Workers Say Bosses Cause Them to Quit Facebook

Workers really don’t want to be friends with their bosses … at least on Facebook. New research has found that workers say they have suspended their accounts or left Facebook altogether to avoid being friended by a boss on the social network.

That finding was a part of research by researchers from Cornell University that examined the reasons why people leaft Facebook or suspended their accounts.

Concerns about privacy and misuse of data were also cited as reasons why users were making the choice to close their accounts. Facebook users also say that addiction to the social network and the negative productivity associated with it were also reasons to leave Facebook. However, others were also more fearful of being friended by former romantic partners in their decision to leave the network.

"In some cases, people reported feeling pressured to leave based on an institutional status, such as being a military officer or parolee," said Eric Baumer, lead author and a postdoctoral associate in communication at Cornell.

Overall, a survey of 410 people found that Facebook users were more likely to suspend their social media account than they were to completely delete their account. Eleven percent of respondents say they had deleted their Facebook account, compared with 26 percent of users who deactivated their account so they could eventually use it later. However, one-third of deactivators eventually returned to the network. Ninety percent of those who canceled their accounts say they were happy in their decision.

Additionally, the researchers also found that 75 people —18 percent of respondents— never had a Facebook account. Researchers say that those nonusers displayed a sense of pride in their decision not to join the social network.

"While some respondents reported simply not having a use for the site, others provided elaborate lists of reasons they would not join," Baumer said. "Some did not want to be on display or live ‘life in a global aquarium.'"